Today a fifty nine year old Orange Walk resident visited our studios in what he calls a last effort to finding some help in his current situation. Benjamin Popper, a resident of Otro Benque Street in Orange Walk says that he has been having some trouble with two tenants who have been renting his house on the same address since 2012. The tenants, Popper says have not been paying their full rent but it was ok with him; that is, until he decided to collect a lump sum of eight hundred dollars that had been accumulating over the course of the months. They refused to pay up and so Popper said he sued the couple. But they turned around and sued him for over six thousand dollars which they are claiming is money they invested in Poppers property. Popper told us more about the situation.

Benjamin Popper – Complainant

“The guy want to get aggressive all of them want to get involve to coming to court, so right owe why I am here is because I summons them for a money that they owe me a little by little about $800.00 they owe me and I carry check and we went to court they summons me for six thousand four hundred and odd dollars. I summons them for eight hundred and now they summons me for six thousand four hundred dollars; three thousand it for the material and two thousand and odds dollars is for labor but let’s go say that I agree that they invest, they never invest it for me I am not winning nothing out of that they invest it in themselves so now should I have to pay them and the law give benefit as the rights and they have receipts for everything and the judge is with them and I can’t defend myself.”

A distressed Popper says that last Friday he was taken to court where he lost the case and was ordered to pay over two thousand dollars in labor fees incurred by the tenants. The judge also ruled that his tenants can bring down whatever they can take that was invested in the property. Popper says the tenants have begun tearing down the property apart and stresses that all he sought was for them to pay what he is duly owed. However, with his case lost in court Popper says he has no way of paying the money he is demanded to pay.

Benjamin Popper – Complainant

“They have their own taxi and their own private car and I just want tell Miss Tanisha that I want that make them start to pay my rent in full and I don’t want it in pieces again I want them to pay me in full my rent, and I rent it for six year more at four hundred dollars a month and make them continue to do what they got to do because if I get my spot cash money I can go to San Isidro and continue fixing up my place because my septic hasn’t finished yet and I live in a deplorable condition and when it rains water comes in from the top. By the end of the month I am going to jail so that is why I am here because if I don’t pay two thousand four hundred by the end of the month I going to jail so I don’t what I could do about that, I can’t pay so I depend on my rent to survive because I can’t work I depend on my rent.”

We contacted the tenants in question but they refused to comment and asked that their names be withheld. They added though that the case has been tried in court and settled and therefore they have nothing to add.